Gig review: The Gathering + Habitants 22-06-2018

I am a lucky guy sometimes, not only was I there four years ago when The Gathering played their very special 25^th anniversary shows. I also was there when they played their first show in four years on the 22^nd of June. Now the The Gathering, for who are not familiar with them, are a band with a long history of many twists and turns. Supposedly during the very beginning they played something crusty before turning into a doom/death pioneer. Not done with changing styles once they would change their act up again and again, from doom to something akin to trip rock to post-rock. Personally I think their debut and How to Measure a Planet are their best albums. Now like I said four years ago they played two very special 25^th anniversary shows and I have to say that was one of the best gigs I've ever seen. For the 22^nd I knew we were not going to get a repeat of that special night yet still at the very least a reignited band.

First up however was Habitants the new band featuring the mastermind behind The Gathering itself René Rutten. Habitants already have dropped a few things here and there on the internet. However on this evening they would play their very first show. Based on what I heard online I expected a post-rock like version of The Gathering. My predictions turned out be mostly accurate. Habitants only was a more minimalistic than I expected. I caught myself thinking of slowcore bands like Codeine. Unlike Codeine however I found myself thinking that went too far with minimalism. The best songs in the set were the more dynamic ones with more elements from the crescendo oriented side of post-rock. I also wonder if the band is stylistically distinct enough from The Gathering. I did notice that the band has a different aim than The Gathering yet might still take too much from the same sources of inspiration.

Before The Gathering started playing I expected a greatest hits set with maybe a guest appearance by a former member. Nothing as extravagant as with the 25^th anniversary shows but at least something due to it being their first gig in almost four years. Instead we did not receive anything of this sort. Not only was the last album before the hiatus the focal point of the set, we also saw a sonically retooled The Gathering. This new version of The Gathering is darker and especially more brooding. Furthermore they skipped quite a few of their biggest hits, they even went as far as skipping their albums Mandylion and Nighttime Birds completely. They did not stop there, while they two played fan favorites from How to Measure a Planet, these two songs were played in the brooding vein of what currently the band seems to be. I did really enjoy this turn of the band, it felt like a natural development yet also not something that strikes me as complacent move. It remains to be seen if this was just an isolated occurrence and that this gig actually showed us what new material will be like, if of course they even are writing new any new material.

Even though its both too early to call and Habitants is not as brooding as the new version of The Gathering, it does make me wonder if René isn't tapping too much from the same well of inspiration for both bands. As for the return of The Gathering itself, that was very much a success.

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Gig Review: Neurosis + Deafkids 19-06-2018

©Brooklyn Vegan

As I mentioned in the first Realm of Tomcat, Neurosis are one of my all time favourite bands. Thus I was really looking forward to seeing them play a normal club show just a 10 minute walk from my apartment. My expectations were high but realistic, events like their 30^th anniversary shows are an once in a lifetime experience. “Tonight”, I thought “I will see a normal Neurosis show, whatever that even means for such a band.”

First up however was the experimental D-beat band Deaf Kids

from Brazil. I checked out their debut before the gig and did not really dig it, they did not manage to change my views. The base sound of the band seems to be the noisy D-beat band Disclose, the band mixes it up by taking the weird elements of the first G.I.S.M. album and repetitive playing in a techno or kraut rock like way. While this could be very cool in theory in practice the execution just was not interesting enough.

Neurosis kicked off their set with the title track of Given to the Rising. I realized once again how much more compelling Given to the Rising is compared with their more recent albums. They ended up playing 3 tracks from their latest album, Fires Within Fires, but completely skipped the career low point Honor Found in Decay. As I expected the Fires Within Fires material came over better live, however the album is still nothing but a watered down version of Given to the Rising. The rest of the set was more compelling. The setlist was varied and they played material from every major release from 96 onwards. The best they saved for last as they finished their night with Through Silver in Blood. Although like I expected the band came over like it was just another day for them because you know that is what it really becomes for a long lasting band. It was not like they were just dialling it in, the band was still doing what they should do and more. It just lacked that little bit extra to take it beyond being a “mere” good show.

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Album review: Tyrant's Kall - Dagon

Autopsy and Sabbath Fhtagn!

Tyrant's Kall are a Lovecraftian band from West-Flanders, Belgium. They play this interesting mix of doom, death and even some traditional metal. They call themselves slime metal and that gets the idea across quite well I have to say. Iä Iä Cthulhu fhtagn it is. Dagon was the first album they released back in 2012.

What makes this band stand out from the crowd is that they shift quite seamlessly between different styles of heavy metal. The switches from Autopsyesque death metal parts to something more like Sabbath all feel natural. Sure doom/death metal is something that has been around for a while, yet I've only found a couple bands that mix these styles like Tyrant's Kall do. I'd say that the band pulls these switches off because of 2 main reasons. First of all the songwriting skills of this band are of a high level. In fact I dare to state that this is the biggest strength of the band. They arrange their songs just right to get the most out of every idea. The diverse nature of the vocals is the second reason. She combines both harsh vocals with rough sounding cleans. Strictly speaking she is not the best vocalist but what she does fits the music well. Her quite understandable style of harsh vocals add to the story telling aspect of the band and her cleans fit the more traditional heavy metal parts of the album. All the lyrics on this album take from the Cthulhu mythos, for example track number 5 Shrieks retells The Dunwich Horror. All what she really help tie it all together.

What is not entirely up to par however are the riffs. Quite a few riffs on this record are nothing special but seem better than they are due to this bands songwriting skills. Other bands simply have written better versions of more than a few riffs you can find on this record. While there are still some really cool riffs on this album, most notably the death metal riff on this albums opener, they are on average only sufficient and nothing more.

I really like the attitude and nature of this band. There is just something unapologetic about writing something rooted in various old school elements while still creating something fresh and different. In essence they prove that Lovecraft, Autopsy and Black Sabbath are timeless sources of inspiration. Sources that lead to worthwhile new artistic endeavours even today so many years after these people made their most important works.

Final Score: 83/100

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Album Review: Iron Angel - Hellbound

Shrimpy Metal

Hellbound marks the return of the cult heavy metal band Iron Angel. Back in the 80's this band 2 albums and a smattering of demos. Hellish Crossfire is a speed metal gem while the second album is just a fun record. This is not actually the first time the band reformed. The first reunion happened back in 97 with first Dirk Schröder and Peter “Piet” Wittke and after the latter died in a car crash, Mike Matthes filed his shoes. The sole product of that reunion is a demo that supposedly is awful. I have not heard it but as it supposedly takes from Pantera, I am not really inclined to check it out. In 2015 Dirk decided it was time for another comeback and this time there were no other original members. This new lineup couples 2 “kids” with 2 oldies. Usually its the oldies who tend to go for a misplaced attempt at modernizing(read groove metallisation) the sound of a band. At least kids into traditional metal tend to be a lot more hostile on groove metal and yes that is a good thing.

Right from the start Iron Angel gets to business, the first song is a straight up speed metal affair. While there are a couple speed metal bands out there today with not that many thrash metal elements they usually do not sound like speed metal from the early 80's. However Hellbound is nothing but songs that sound like Priest's Exciter or Fast As a Shark. This is an impressive feat especially considering that both guitarists of the classic period are no longer with us.

Sounding like one of the best things in metal history does not mean anything of course. Luckily Iron Angel mostly delivered. While I think Hellish Crossfire is a better album, Hellbound is still a damn fine record. While there is a moment here and there where the songs drag a bit due to the songs being a bit too long sometimes. These are however but fleeting moments when you look at the grand scheme of this album. Everything else just works from the riffs to the production and mix. This is almost exactly what a new album in this style should sound like. I'd just turn down the drums and the vocals down a small notch and up the guitars a little bit but that is almost nitpicking. This is not an album with forward pushing ideas, you can not modernize a sound like this without ending up with a product that nobody really wants. Just think about it, the current speed metal bands that are innovative like Evil Invaders do not really try to update the 80's speed metal sound. The small flaws of this album certainly not caused by this.

This album will actually end up higher on my albums of the years list than some albums I actually consider better pieces of art. This is for a simple reason, while Hellbound is not a transcendental listening experience it just is so much fun. It is something I just need more in a way. I can compare it with eating food. I love eating lobster but on an average day I’d rather eat shrimp.

Final score: 86/100

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Realm of Tomcat

Hello dear reader, welcome to the grand mega anniversary of our blog. We've now been around for an incredible single week. A week during which we broke every record imaginable and reached new heights never before seen by man.

Our first week also coincided with the summer edition of the Metal Archives review challenge. This review challenge is all about reviewing all sorts of albums that do not yet have a review on the metal archives yet. For the last several years I at least tried to participate in every challenge. However the passing of Diamhea cast a shadow over the latest edition. Not only was Diamhea an essential part of MA, he also held the record of reviewing the most reviews during a single edition. It is thus very just that the review challenge has been renamed to the Diamhea review challenge. Every review of mine on the blog so far was written for this challenge. While writing reviews I was reflecting about his passing. I would say that we were only friends on a casual basis but still we hung together in the official metal archives chat room for years. You never know when somebody you know quite well suddenly passes. I am asking everyone who uses the archives regularly to blast some Overkill in his memory.

Tonight I am going to see Neurosis again. Neurosis were one of the first bands I ever got into when I just got into metal. I think I first heard them back in 2004 but the one play through I really remember was back in the summer of 2005. It was well past midnight and I was just chilling in bed and listening to music. I was listening to the The Word as Law album which I had not heard yet. This album got an untitled bonus track at the end that is just nothing but feedback, I had heard feedback and stuff before but still somehow they managed to create a super creepy ambient piece out of it unlike anything I've heard before or since. I was basically this close to shitting my pants.

Despite being a real long time fan it took me years and years before I could finally see them. Usually they would play only a single gig while I was not even in the country in the middle of the summer. This finally changed when they performed at Roadburn 2016, not only that but they played two 30^th anniversary shows, 2 different sets of showcasing their entire discography. The first of the 2 sets was especially incredible, they build the setlist in such a way that the tension just kept on building and building. When they played Through Silver in Blood itself I couldn't keep myself together any more, I don't even really remember what I did maybe I almost opened up a mosh pit but what I do remember was the music. I am not really sure if it was a good thing that this band seemingly triggered something akin to a psychotic break. Afterwards I was pretty much completely shattered and empty, I was staggering around the venue and somebody I knew told me I was all drunk but while I had a few drinks 90% of what she saw was just the sheer power of Neurosis. I do not really expect them to have such an amazing setlist or performance again but I am sure it is going to be an amazing experience once again.

Album Review: Okkultokrati - Raspberry Dawn

Genre bender from SPACE

Loud guitar music has been around for a while now. Starting in the 60's with hard and psychedelic rock, later on our beloved genre of heavy metal, hardcore punk and many more forms as time went on. Some people say that today loud guitar music is at a creative dead end and that everything new does not come close to the massive innovations of yore. Personally while I do understand it when people make this point I think this is a bit of an exaggeration. I think a comparison with a middle aged person is apt. Not likely to really change their lives any more but still capable of pulling out some creative new tricks and honing what the person already is capable off. Okkultokrati has done the former on Raspberry Dawn.

Raspberry Dawn combines quite a few familiar sounds together in one new fresh experience. From d-beat, post-punk, kraut rock and black metal to darkwave. All these genres are present on this record. What is interesting is that they manage to morph the various elements of these genres to create a better, more homogeneous whole. The most common drum beat on this record is the d-beat but instead of implementing it in the traditional mosh pit inducing manner, they soften it up. The result is something that is quite similar to the motorik beat. This allows the more psychedelic and post-punk elements on this album to function. The guitar riffs are mostly punky, but then in order to make the whole work, the band used a pretty noisy guitar tone and went for a lot of repetition when it comes to the guitar riffs. These kind of adaptations to make the whole function better is applied to every element on this record. Frankly it is also the only way to make such an eclectic mixture of genres work and work it does. The end product is remarkably good from start to finish with all the different elements coming together to create something excellent.

I think eclectic bands work best when the end result is something still homogeneous and no eclectic band I’ve ever heard pushes as much for homogeneity as Okkultokrati do on this album. This is an album for people with a broad taste in music that get turned off by bands trying to hard to mash genres together.

Final Score: 90/100

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EP review: Archgoat - Eternal Damnation of Christ

The Eternal Pulverisation of Christ

Few bands exemplify underground metal more than Archgoat. First with their original genre defining stretch in the early 90's and now today by playing something that goes against the currently on going trends. War metal is quite popular right now but pretty much no currently active war metal band takes this much from Celtic Frost nor do current bands that take their main inspiration from Celtic Frost sound anywhere near as brutal as this band from Finland. Of course this is all irrelevant if the music sucks. However everyone who has followed what Archgoat has released and their live performances in recent years can only come to the conclusion that they are only getting better at their craft.

Eternal Damnation of Christ is the bands first showcase of new material since 2015's The Apocalyptic Triumphator. This EP marks no stylistic shift of any kind. The 2 tracks on this EP show that their blade is still the same as on their last full length. The riffs are still in the crushing blackened Celtic Frost style. The vocals are also still the same old blackened death growls as before. Why change what works so well. One thing I can't get over every time I listen to this EP is how amazing it sounds. While maybe the mix is a bit too drum centric for a full length album it works perfectly for this short EP. I've never heard any extreme metal release with such a thundering, pulverizing drum sound. The fact that the band avoided triggers and that you can hear the differences between every single strike only adds to the power of this EP.

Archgoat can seemingly do no wrong these days. Not only are their live shows incredible but ever since their return in 2004 their releases just have gotten better and better. I can only assume the future will bring more of the same and that my skull will only get caved in once again.

Final Score: 90/100

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A Look At Omen

Omen

There's a lot of deathcore that is easy to shrug off as an uninspired copy of the last few breakout albums. You know the kind; nothing but chugging and gutturals with the same two note breakdowns sprinkled in for taste, even if it is a very bad taste. Very few deathcore releases in the last few years or so have really stuck out to me, and this is coming from an avid deathcore listener. However, among the sea of garbage are a few releases that really peak my interest, including my recently reviewed The Wretched Sounds by Nott and the album I am covering today, Bog Wraith's Omen.

This Michigan based blackened deathcore outfit has been creating raw, black metal influenced deathcore since 2016, and that includes their 2018 release, Omen. Being one of the most well received albums of the year so far, Omen is doing a lot of things right. Between the rawness of the production, variation of the riffing and intensity of the vocals, Omen lines itself up as a premiere deathcore album. While their two prior EPs, Viscera and Mire were both known for this same style, Omen kicks it up a notch in every aspect.

For one, the guitars in this album are absolutely vicious. Between the raw production and the varied riffing, you get guitar work that comes off as very skilled and not the same chugging that you get in just about every other release. Between that, the brilliant songwriting and the simple, wicked solos, Omen already presents itself as not your average deathcore album, showing a slight blackened element in some of the speedier sections while maintaining a raw heaviness that catapults it above all other albums in the same vein of metal. There's something about how well these guitars pair up with the drums and vocals that really makes them so damn special.

Speaking of the drums, they're mixed very well, with the bass drum being very prominent and setting the tone of the album by pounding out a very steady rhythm that you can feel in your chest. The fairly clean production on the drums contrasts the rawness of the guitar, yet it also adds a layer of depth by not allowing it to blend too much with the guitars and putting them on another level. It's a touch that's hard to pick out at first listen, but when you do, it makes the album that much better and that much more fun to listen to.

The vocals on Omen are really where the album shines, however. The vocalist has some of the nastier lows in all of deathcore, with a naturally visceral and guttural sound that not many other frontmen can replicate, especially not so easily. While they're not the absolute best, the vocalist makes up for it with screeching, tunneled highs that I have not heard on any other vocalist. Not to mention the fact that there is little to no editing on the vocals, as they sound very natural and have an intensity to them that fades with overediting. All in all, the screams really make this album as good as it is, even with the great songwriting and powerful production.

Final Score: 97/100

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Album Review: Svatan - Awakening of the Mighty Flame

Awakening of a candle

Svatan are a black metal band from Brazil that formed in 2015. The two founders have been involved with other bands but nothing prominent. Awakening of the Mighty Flame is their debut and they released it in back in 2016.

This is not black metal in the South American style. Svatan give us an album that essentially comes down to Norway meets Greece. They take from the more melodic side of Norwegian scene their song structures and the style of guitar playing. While from Greece they take their sense of melody and how they use the keys. There are moments that refer more to the Swedish sound but those are mostly footnotes in the overarching scheme of this album.

From a technical point of view this album delivers a solid performance. The varied vocals are a plus and their sense of melody is above average as well. However this only results in a release that's just a step above average. Their song and riff writing chops are just not good enough to make this album stand out among the overcrowded world of modern black metal. While various individual elements might be superficially appealing overall the album is a bit of a blur. The production job on top of that also increases the blurry nature of this release. The album is very loud and kind of grating. I am quite sure that if I listened to this album on my headphones I'd definitely have some ear fatigue by the end of this albums run time.

In a way this band has gotten one foot in the door despite the album mostly being a tiring listening experience. Their sense of melody is what makes this band promising to me. It is not likely that I will revisit this release but there is enough on display here to make me check out their future material.

Final Score: 62/100

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Album Review: Kong - Push Come to Shove

A mid 90's relic

When thinking about typical music from the mid 90's there are a few things that come to my mind. You got your Scatman John, Vengaboys and an endless amount of eurodance, on the other side you also got Earth Crisis, Marilyn Manson and Pantera of course. Kong are from this time period and their sound very much reflects this. You'd expect a progressive metal band from that time period to sound like Dream Theater or maybe Mr Bungle. Instead Kong come across more like all sorts of non heavy bands from that time period. Kong achieve this by merging all sorts of different influences into their sound. While they've always been eclectic they push it all to a new level on Push Comes to Shove.

On Push Comes to Shove Kong build upon their already established style of post-rock like, industrial sort of groovy heavy metal by adding a whole bunch of different elements to the recipe. There are moments that take from trance and even eurodance on this record. It is like everything that was on the airwaves back then got put into a blender. The end product is something that feels like it could be the soundtrack for a video game. Maybe it is my nostalgia kicking in but for example the track Bumpe takes me back to Unreal Tournament. This album also sounds very 90s in terms of its production job. The feel of this album is very natural yet loose. Nothing comes over as an overly ambitious try hard experiment. It is basically a very pleasant uniform listen. To me its niche is not to be in your face good but instead you put it on as background music, let your mind wander and just relax. Now that does not mean every track is as good as the other. Not because they are failed pieces of experimentation but your mind just drifts a bit off too much instead. Luckily there are more than enough tracks that reel you back in.

This album walks a fine line, something like this could quite easily have ended up sounding boring or completely off. Yet somehow Kong manage to keep themselves on track and deliver a quite pleasing and unique listening experience.

Final Score: 84/100

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A Look At Savagery

Savagery

After a long break, a lot of bands will pour time into creating a comeback album that will blow the socks off of fans and new listeners alike. Some bands succeed in this, creating an album that only adds to their success and fan base. On the other end of the spectrum, are bands that release comeback albums with the opposite effect. Albums released after a long hiatus that are panned, mediocre, or just bad are rare when it comes to established bands, but Skinless have managed to fall into that category.

Legendary brutal death metal act Skinless took a break after their critically acclaimed 2006 album Trample The Weak, Hurdle The Dead, only to come back and release their most hated album, Only The Ruthless Remain in 2015. Three years later, the Skinless crew returns to bring us their sixth album, Savagery. While not their worst album, with it being their second album after a failed comeback fans were awaiting the return of the Skinless they remembered from the late 90s and early 2000s. What we got, however, was a mediocre work full of decent vocals, okay songwriting, and a fairly thin guitar track - a far cry from what fans were hoping for. As mentioned, the songwriting in Savagery is fairly well done, with some songs such as the title track and Line Of Dissent having creative flows and catchy choruses that still beat your skull in. However, a majority of the album is full of generic brutal death metal riffing that, while fun to listen to, is not something one would expect from Skinless. It's good, but a return to the sound they had in 2006 is still something to be desired.

To focus on the guitars themselves, the thinness in the sound is very noticeable, with an almost hollow sound to them that wasn't present in any albums before, except for maybe Only The Ruthless Remain. It's not on all songs, but it's still an issue that plagues the album as a whole. Even if it is a minor issue, a more glaring problem lies within the guitar work itself. While a majority of the riffing is alright, even fairly inspired, the solos in Savagery are lackluster, bringing less intensity to the album and leaving the listener disappointed. Even then, the guitars are mixed lower in the final track than usual, leaving the drums pounding over the guitar and detracting from the overall sound. It's not the worst, but it's really disappointing from such a juggernaut in the genre.

As for the best part of the album, the vocals, there is still a lot left to be desired, but they're actually well done. Even if Keyser sounds like a 40 year old still trying to do death metal vocals, the mixing and production on them is well done and only adds to the brutality and immensity of his voice, much like their earlier releases. His vocals peaked in 2006, between the strategic layering of his vicious highs and powerful lows and the sheer intensity of both of them on their own. On Savagery, these tactics are definitely not used as much, with most of the album being filled with just his lows and little to no layering. While it's refreshing to hear such raw vocals, it does not have the same effect as the earlier vocal work produced by Skinless. However, they still bring the quality of the album up for me.

Final Score: 64/100

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Album Review: My Minds Mine - Scenes of the Complete Annihilation of This Planet

My Minds Grind

My Minds Mine are a grindcore band from the northern part of the Netherlands. Before they reformed in 2015 they had a 7 year stretch of activity from 1995 until 2002. After they split up in 2002 a couple band members went on to form the more powerviolence leaning Blood I Bleed. This album was the swansong of their initial period.

Right away it becomes clear that the main influences for Scenes of the Complete Annihilation of this Planet are early Napalm Death and 80's thrashcore. Which is a slight departure from their debut as that album takes less from bands like Heresy and more from more metallic bands like Brutal Truth in particular. The 80s thrashcore influence also leads to this album sounding a bit more light hearted. It is not a happy album, yet it is not as bleak as early Napalm Death.

This album was nothing innovative for the year 2002 but instead we get a band that nails the punk side of grindcore. The energy just pours out of your speakers and just kicks your butt. The raw yet clear production is pretty much perfect and give the riffs the energy they need. You can hear what all the different elements on this album are doing, yet the power does not get diminished by sterility or an overly noisy sound. The pissed off vocals are the final cherry on the cake that makes this album as good as it is.

The only reason why this album is not a classic is that it just lacks a little of the X-factor that bands like Insect Warfare do have. While this does still mean that this album is worth checking out if you like grindcore. This album will still wreck you and leave you behind as a pleased mess.

Final Score: 87/100

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A Look At Hammer Of The Heretics

Hammer Of The Heretics

A lot of bands call themselves evil. They tout their black metal influences or their dark and gloomy atmosphere, claiming that this adds to their malignant sound, claiming that it adds to their vile and vicious image. While yes, these influences add a certain level of nefariousness to the sound or a layer of intensity, no band truly grasps what it means to have an evil sound; a sound that leaves a pit in your stomach and a mark in your mind. It's a tough label to envelope yourself in as a band, and that's where Autokrator come in.

This French death metal band is one of the few bands that, upon first listen, sound truly evil, and their latest album Hammer Of The Heretics is no exception. From cover to cover, Hammer Of The Heretics is a relentless assault on your ears, with immense riffing coupled with inhuman vocals and stellar composition.The guitars on this album are beastly, coated in a thick layer of distortion that shakes you to your core, with a solid mixture of tremolo picking and classic death metal riffs being the main composition in this area of the album. The sheer intensity brought on by the rhythm guitar is only added to with the occasional soloing and complex lead guitar parts, bringing an atmosphere of epic proportions. No other death metal band can bring the same sound that Autokrator has with the guitar in this album.

The drums are nothing to scoff at either, with a booming bass drum being the core that the rest of the drums build upon. The hats and crash cymbals resonate so well behind the wall of guitar, bringing an upper register that makes the entire album shine. Not only that, but the powerful production on the instrumentals as a whole create a daunting atmosphere unlike any other death metal band. The bass in this album is what really makes it though, with a heavily distorted bass line mixed high in the final product lunging out at you and making your heart beat with the tempo of the album. It's just such a massive sound that creates a soundscape that's just as massive.

The vocals are, again, inhuman. The vocalist of Autokrator outdid himself with his album, as prior releases had more garbled and incomprehensible vocal lines compared to the cleaner and more enunciated vocal lines present in Hammer Of The Heretics. That being said, the vocals are still nasty in their delivery, with a very guttural sound taking the center stage. When there isn't much variation in the vocals of an album, the vocalist has to make up for it by making what they do create is stellar, and that is the case here. The lows that the front man has are a mixture between a normal death metal growl and a visceral guttural, blending the two into a punchy and vicious vocal assault. As a whole, this album is a very forward and intense experience that is, quite honestly, one of the better albums I've ever listened to.

Final Score: 85/100

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Album review: Varathron - Patriarchs of Evil

Patriarchs of Greece

Patriarchs of Evil is the sixth full length album made by the Hellenic black metal legends Varathron. For 4 years they've worked on this latest, as of this writing, addition to their very strong discography. Back in the early 90's Varathron created the classic Hellenic sound with their peers Rotting Christ, Necromantia, Zemial and quite a bunch of other bands. The only album of theirs that I would call spotty would be Crowsreign. The high quality of their discography coupled with the fact that they were excellent both times I saw them live made sure I had high expectations for this album. Surely they would deliver.

I am very happy to report that this album completely was as I expected. A piece of classic Hellenic black metal done in their very own Varathron style. Stefan's vocals are once again excellent. His special clear style of harsh vocals shine once again. I'd say that the Slayerisms are a bit less present on this record if I compare it with the 2 albums they made before this one. There is a bit more of a folkish feel to the riffs on this effort. The traditional heavy metal elements are still very much present as well of course. Like on their previous 2 albums the tempo is still reasonably fast paced. While this means that the special 4AD like atmosphere on their first couple records is once again not as present as on their first couple albums, this once again gets more than compensated by the excellent quality of the riffs. Now on a couple tracks like the closer the atmosphere comes a bit more to the foreground so you can still get your fix on this varied album. If you still need more I suggest to check out the excellent side projects some of the band members are involved in.

Initially I thought that this album was a bit too clean sounding, however after a couple spins including a very loud one I realized I was mistaken. This album is seemingly made to share with your neighbors. This album not only thunders when you crank it, all the details and flourishes become even more attention grabbing. Personally I am not that into blasting music loudly but just every once in a while you just find an album that seemingly just demands it.

I am more than a little pleased with this album. Varathron once again show us that they are one of the very best black metal bands of all time. Not only that but I can tell you that they are playing live more than ever before and maybe they will now finally show up in your neighborhood.

Final score: 93/100

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Blood Splattered Satisfaction

What artists come to mind when you think of metal’s most creative minds?

Gorguts? Deathspell Omega? Wayne Knupp?

No matter what your answer is, I’d assume that one name, in particular, does not immediately come to mind. As a matter of fact, it probably never comes to mind. For most people, New Jersey slam/deathcore group Waking the Cadaver are the opposite of creative, but for those in the know, it is readily apparent that their concise discography ranks as one of the best that metal has to offer.

The members of Waking the Cadaver rejecting mediocrity.

Not unlike some of their more conventional slam forefathers, Waking the Cadaver were a misunderstood collective of some of the most untamed creative spirits to ever step into the studio. This artistic brilliance can be found to be clearly evident on any of the band’s recordings, but the biggest statement made by the band is undeniably 2010’s Beyond Cops. Beyond God. 

Released by Siege of Amida Records, everything about this album is a statement by the band.  The title of the album alone warrants a great deal of discussion.

A plethora of bands have fought the law, but only Waking the Cadaver have succeeded in surpassing the corrupt boys in blue. Similarly, many artists have used religious imagery as a means of comparison, after all, John Lennon claimed the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, and Kanye West claims to be a god in his own right. Both of those statements may be true, especially the latter, but Waking the Cadaver had more ambitious claims to make.

Even the name, Waking the Cadaver speaks to their mighty powers, as they can raise the dead through their music.

Through their choice of title, Waking the Cadaver are expressing their dominion over the mortal realm as well as the supernatural. They are beyond cops, the deadliest force known to man, but they are also beyond God, an impressive achievement given His omnipotence. They succeeded where all others failed, for they are truly creative beings freed from the shackles of human limitations.

Some might argue that it’s not enough just to claim one’s superiority, and I would certainly agree. Fortunately, Waking the Cadaver proved that they did indeed possess an astonishing amount of clout. Only a group that is beyond God could have fused deathcore and slam so intricately, and so well, years before it became the hot new trend among English teenagers. I can only assume that this is why they chose to release their opus through a label called Siege of Amida. For a band so meticulous in their message, they must have chosen their label in order to subtly tell the world that they were coming to lay siege to our pre-conceived notions regarding slam and music as a whole.

Beyond Cops. Beyond God. isn’t Waking the Cadaver’s best record, nor is it their most popular, but when they’re given the critical re-evaluation that all great bands are given, it will be remembered as the most definitive. For a band as universally reviled as they are, it must have required an overwhelming amount of self-confidence to release such an immediately iconic album. MySpace critics were harsh, undeservingly so in regard to Waking the Cadaver, and I’m sure they didn’t give the band their rightful credit for innovating the game.

Thankfully, hindsight is 20/20, and we can give Waking the Cadaver their well-earned props for pioneering a fusion of death metal’s most lowbrow subgenres into one amorphous blob of mindless brutality. Slam and deathcore don't often mix well, as amalgamations of the two genres often descend into self-parody, but Waking the Cadaver found the sweet spot between the two. Without them, the world of music would be a much smarter place, and that wouldn’t be any fun at all.

A Look At The Wretched Sounds

The Wretched Sounds 

Deathcore is a polarizing genre. Some people love it, and some people hate it with a passion that burns hotter than a Norwegian church in the 90's. The genre doesn't really help itself either, with most of the more popular deathcore acts in recent years being carbon copies of the first few to gain success, all creating the same, overproduced, chugging nonsense all in the name of "brutality". However, there are a few bands that break the mold and create something that is truly brutal and truly heavy; something that accomplishes the goal set out which is rarely achieved by the other bands who claim to be doing the same thing.

Meet Nott, the solo deathcore project of Alaskan native Tyler Campbell. Nott formed in 2012 and proceeded to release 3 EPs in as many years, each one getting stronger and more bleak than the last. In 2014, Nott stopped releasing music and began to tease what would become his best work. That release would become known as The Wretched Sounds. This leviathan of an album was released in late May of 2018, and built upon the sound that Tyler had already set as a foundation, creating an album that is more aggressive and heavier as a whole, as compared to his other EPs such as Abyssal or Obsidian Depths. The atmosphere that this album creates is an immense, looming sort of demise that you can feel in your chest as the pounding riffs and deep, resounding bass create a pit in your chest.

The guitar work in this album is quite solid, the constant changes between brooding chugs and quick, powerful riffing creates an atmosphere of intensity and tension, releasing the built up rage in immense bursts. Tyler aims to create something heavy - and through the guitars, he succeeds. The bass-filled mixing boosts the overall intensity present throughout the entire album, even in the longer, more atmospheric songs, as they provide a level of power that not many other albums in deathcore can mimic. The drums are also great in this manner, as the punchy kick drums ride behind the guitars and add that extra thump that's needed to pound your chest along with the relentless rhythmic structure. The drumming can be quite simple at times, but it actually helps the overall sound, not detracting from the pounding guitar or the vocals and instead just providing that backing kick that brings the whole album together.

Despite my praise for the strength of the instrumentation in this album and how well they are executed, I believe that the vocals are probably the pinnacle of this album. Tyler Campbell has some of the nastiest lows in deathcore, bringing nothing but pure power to the table with how intense his vocal lines are. He may not have the guttural capability or the screeching highs of vocalists such as Dickie Allen, but his lows make up for it with how well presented they are. Not only are Tyler's vocals great for this situation, but vocal features from deathcore mainstays Tyler Shelton and CJ McMahon round out the performances in this album. Shelton's visceral-as-always vocals are utilized perfectly at the end of the title track, The Wretched Sounds, and CJ's unique sound finds it's place in the song Terminus I: Barren. Overall, the vocal line up in this album is a force to be reckoned with, and it only adds to the pounding heaviness that Nott brings to the table. Be on the look out, as this could be one of the premiere deathcore acts in the next few years.

Final Score: 89/100

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Unstoppable Force II featuring Satan gig review 09-06-2018

I never thought I would go this Dutch town called Almere for a heavy metal show. Almere is a brand new town that only got its first brick laid down in the mid 70's. It lies in one of those famous pieces of land reclaimed from the sea that we call a polder over here in the Netherlands. It is a town made for yuppies and basically got no real culture nor is it an industrial town. You know the two things that can be found in most towns with a heavy metal scene. Yet despite this all this a brand new organisation with the very heavy metal approved name Unstoppable Force has started arranging shows for this local venue called De Meester not only that but they invited the NWOBHM legends Satan to play the 2^nd edition of their events. After my initial surprise that not only that this was going to happen in Almere of all places and that I would even be able to go there and back despite a 2 hour train ride, I made the very sensible decision to definitely go there to catch some riffs. So in the name of science on the 9^th of June 2018 off I went to Almere to investigate this previously unknown piece of heavy metal habitat.

The first supporting band was an obscure Dutch 80's heavy/power band called Sad Iron. I had never seen them before so I was looking forward to seeing them. Sad Iron plays something in the vein of very early Jag Panzer and I guess I will have to namedrop “Fast as a Shark” by Accept to give a good indication of that they sound like. In other words they play something quite primitive and quite cool. They played a pretty decent and well played set. Enjoyable though it was, they could not completely hide the fact that they also are just not of the same level as some other bands from the same time period.

Up next was speed/thrash band Overruled. Unlike the oldies of Sad Iron this band consists entirely of lads who are in their mid 20's as far as I could gather. The fact that most likely none of the band members were even born when Satan or Sad Iron were first formed was very much reflected in their music. They played something so much more modern that they sound like they are from 1985 instead of 1983. They gave us an energetic albeit a bit repetitive show. As far as I gathered they played most if not all songs of their sole release from 2012 and while that is a fun little debut, it is nothing but a promising first release. Time for something new after today’s fun show I say.

Satan, the main course of the night, had a very successful comeback as you all should know by now. First one of the best comebacks of heavy metal history with Life Sentence in 2013 then they followed that with the really solid Atom by Atom a couple years later in 2015. Personally I think the secret of this successful comeback is that everyone in Satan has been involved in the metal scene ever since the old days.

A couple years ago I saw Satan for the first time. Tonight their continued success was pretty well reflected in their performance as what we saw was a very confident band that knows what they are doing and what they are best at. Setlist wise they played about as much material from each album they made together with this line-up. Yes that still means they play no material from the Suspended Sentence era. I guess Brian Ross the singer, understandably just doesn't want to do perform the material he was not involved with. Personally I had a blast headbanging and singing along. The rest of the crowd agreed with my sentiment and clearly showed their approval throughout the evening, there even was a mosh pit during pretty much all of the faster songs. The only very slightly negative part of the gig was that maybe Brian spoke a little bit too much in between the songs. Other than that it was just a showcase of heavy metal excellence that shows us that good classic heavy metal never gets old.

Oh and on a final note the venue not only had pretty good sound for a place that does not get much in the terms of heavy metal but it also got character and you can get proper Belgian ale for just 3 Euros. I will definitely come back if they book another band I want to see.